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Organizers Still Optimistic About Beachmont Church’s Chances; Will Hold a Mass and Update This Sunday, Nov. 27

Along with Thanksgiving this year comes a good deal of hope for those in Beachmont who are continuing the fight to save their Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.

Organizer John Verrengia said there would be a Mass on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 27th, at 10 a.m. It will be celebrated by a Catholic priest at the Beachmont VFW Hall, and will include an update on the appeal process in Rome at 9 a.m.

Verrengia said he has never been more optimistic about the appeals process than now, and he said getting a big turnout for the Mass would send a clear message about the group’s resolve.

“This is the most optimistic we’ve been in seven years,” said Verrengia. “The rulings coming out of Rome now say flat out they can’t sell churches off as cash cows. This is not getting together for sentimental sake. We really have something to share. A big turnout will be noticed by the Archdiocese, especially with a second round of church reconfigurations coming out in December.”

After several years on appeal, the Archdiocese earlier this year suddenly put out an edict reading that Our Lady of Lourdes – and several other churches on appeal – were being decommissioned as churches and would be sold.

Verrengia, and others, counter that they are still within the appeals process and the Archdiocese’s edict is not legitimate.

“We’ve had other Masses like this, but this one is truly critical to our efforts,” concluded Verrengia.